Another case scenario: if your health system wants to establish a register of all instances of occupational exposure to bloodborne illnesses (particularly HIV and hepatitis B and C) among health staff.

The number of health facilities is large but the number of incidents is low and the system can also be a voluntary one as some staff are concerned about confidentiality and potential uses of that information (future discrimination).

The health Minister has not committed funding beyond the establishment phase and the issue of potential compensation for sufferers of bloodborne illnesses has not been resolved.

What type of system would you choose?

I would recommend a standard database but set up stand alone computerised system to avoid potential breaches of confidentiality and because a networked system is not justifiable given the low number of cases each year.